I learned Nijushiho (the 24 steps) when Tris taught it at the first
Bushi No Te Summer Camp at an instructors clinic. That was back in 1981. I did not learn its history, etc. Of course I
remembered the form, even once competing with it in 1984 for fun. That camp
experience was all the instruction I received.
Then
in 1988 I was thinking of including one of Tris’ forms in my student curricula,
thinking I would teach Bassai Dai. Tris was up for a clinic and to attend a
tournament over at Richie's and I asked him about my idea, however he thought I
should teach Nijushiho an then proceeded to teach the form and its bunkai the
next day for a clinic.
Note
I did video the entire clinic (viewing that video series one time, then setting
it aside).
During
the clinic I did not pay much attention to how he taught, instead working with
everyone to help them learn the form. I spent more time on the applications.
The
next week when I saw everyone practicing I noticed some technique sequences
were a bit different from what I did,
and I worked to correct them, figuring out some memories were incorrect. And
the version we did was what I was originally taught.
Never
really went forward exploring his bunkai, probably because I was getting into
my own bunkai paradigm at that time.
Those
videos were VHS decades later I copied them onto CD’s and finally saved them on
YouTube.
One
day 20 years after the clinic I actually viewed
those videos and I discovered the Nijushiho kata Tris taught then was
not the version I was showed at that summer camp.
What I believed Tris showed at the clinic was his source Nijushiho
Kata that he would teach to his students. And then the version I learned was
the bunkai version of Nijushiho kata. An amended version, for I had learned
that when black belts study the bunkai of a kata, they get an amended version
of that kata to mnemonically help them for their studies. That version was to
remain secret for them alone. I believe, helped by too much drinking, that he
taught the bunkai version at that summer camp. Not believing anyone would
remember it. Of course we know I did and practiced it for a decade too.
After
I saw what the video showed I know I shared
that information with you, your decision what to teach going forward.
Just
saw an old blog post on Nijushiho Applications at https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2015/12/nijushiho-bunkai-notes-from-1988.html
But
my notes were scanned and are not easy to read. So I created this .pdf of the
notes. And these are the original videos my notes came from
Young Lee performing my Nijushiho
This is now Tris taught the clinic.
Sutrisno Nijushiho Clinic 1
Sutrisno Nijushiho Clinic 2
Sutrisno Nijushiho Clinic 3
Sutrisno Nijushiho Clinic 4
Sutrisno Nijushiho Clinic 5
Sutrisno Nijushiho Clinic 6
Sutrisno Nijushiho Clinic 7
Everything is a story with me.
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